Carrell units



w. E. FYFFE CARRELL UNITS Sept. 5, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 9, 1965 INVENTOR WILL/AM f'yI-FE A frame-X Sept. 5, 1967 w. E. FYFFE 3,339,502

CARRELL UNITS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 9, 1965 INVENTOR. W/LZ/AM E. F/FFE' United States Patent 3,339,502 CARRELL UNITS William E. Fytfe, Herkimer, N.Y., assignor to Sperry Rand Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 9, 1965, Ser. No. 506,957 1 Claim. (Cl. 108-64) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in carrells.

Carrells of the type which include a table wherein the top panel or work surface is bounded on three sides by vertical end panels and a rear panel are well known. These units are extensively used in libraries, schools, business ofiices and the like to provide individual study, reading or work stations whereat a person in the course of use thereof is less apt to be distracted by the activity of others in the immediate area of the unit.

In equipment of this type, it is desirable in accordance with varying work tasks and available space that a carrell unit be readily adaptable for use either as an individual unit or for interconnection with other carrell units to provide a range or row of interconnected units. Problems have arisen in providing an economical carrell unit which may be used as an individual unit'and yet incorporate therein versatile structure whereby the unit is readily convertable for use as one of a group of interconnected units without unnecessary duplication of parts and complex assembly and disassembly procedures.

It is an object of this invention to provide a novel carrell unit.

Another object is to provide a carrell unit having novel integral means whereby the unit is adapted for conversion from an individual unit for connection with other carrell units to provide part of a range of interconnected units.

The present invention contemplates novel means whereby two or more carrell units are adapted for ready conversion for use either as individual units or for connection one with the other to provide a carrell comprised of a plurality of interconnected units. In one embodiment of this invention, the underside of the top panel of a carrell unit is proyided with a first pair of spaced detachable cleat members each having means thereon for supporting and positioning the legs of the unit when the latter is used as an individual unit. Second or partial cleat members are provided adjacent the first cleat members and at least one of which second cleat members of the unit is adapted for alignment with a similarly formed second cleat member of another carrell unit when the two carrell units are placed in side-by-side relationship. In the aligned position, the second cleat members of the adjacent carrell units are adapted for interconnection one with the other to join the two units. In addition, the inte'rconnected second cleat members conjointly provide means for positioning and mounting intermediate supporting legs of the interconnected carrell units.

The above and other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear more fully hereinafter from a consideration of the detailed description which follows taken together with the accompanying drawings wherein one embodiment is illustrated.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an individual carrell unit in which an embodiment of the present invention is incorporated;

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the carrell unit of FIG. 1 with the supporting legs removed;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of a carrell comprising three interconnected carrell units;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view 3,339,502 Patented Sept. 5, 1967 of the carrell unit at the left and the intermediate carrell unit shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the interconnected carrell units shown in FIG. 3 with the supporting legs removed; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional plan view taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 3.

Referring now to the drawings for a more detailed description of the present invention, a carrell unit is generally indicated by tthe reference numeral 10 in FIGS. 1 and 2 and indicates by way of example, a carrell unit which incorporates an embodiment of the present invention. I

Carrell unit 10 includes an upper assembly 11 (FIG. 1) formed of any suitable material such as for example, Wood and which upper assembly 11 is supported on a plurality of vertical leg members 12. Upper assembly 11 includes a horizontal top panel or work surface 13 and a vertical rear panel 14 and spaced vertical end panels 15 and 16 which project upwardly from the side edges of top panel 13. Rear panel 14 is connected to end panels 15-16 by complementary tongue and groove connections generally indicated by reference numeral 18 in FIG. 1, with top panel 13 secured to end panels 15-16 in a manner to be described.

Means are provided on the underside 19 (FIG. 2) of top panel 13 for positioning and mounting leg' members 12 on upper assembly 11 and which means include a pair of spaced elongated rectangular-shaped first or fullcleat members 21. Cleat member 21 extend front to back of carrell unit 10 or transversely of underside 19 and are detachably secured thereto by screws 22. Disposed adjacent each full cleat member 21 and extending in the same direction is second or partial cleat member 23 of elongated rectangular configuration. Each partial cleat 23 has a side surface in flush engagement with a lower adjacent marginal portion 24 (FIG. 1) of end panel 15 or 16 and which marginal portion 24 depends below top panel 13. Partial cleats 23 are approximately one-half the size of full cleats 21 and are secured to underside 19 of top panel 13 by screws 25 (FIG. 2). A pair of spaced recesses 27 of semicircular configuration are provided in the bottom of each cleat 23 (FIG. 2) and are open to one side edge thereof. Recesses 27 are each in alignment with one of a pair of circular-shaped recesses 28 formed in the adjacent full cleat 21. Elongated bolts 29 pass through each pair of adjacent cleats 21 and 23 and which bolts 29 are threaded into bushings 31 provided in marginal portions 24 of end panels 15-16 (FIG. 2) to secure top panel13 and cleats 21-23 to end panels 15 and 16 and complete upper assembly portion 11 of carrell unit 10.

Supporting leg members 12 of carrell unit 10 are of hollow metallic construction and each include a plate 32 at the upper end thereof and which plate 32 is secured to cleats 21-23 by bolts 33 which are threaded into a set of four bushings 34 provided at predetermined positions in cleats 21-23. The upper ends of legs 12 are secured to plate 32 by any suitable means such as by bushing 35 press-fitted into leg 12 and connected to plate 32 by a bolt 35A which passes through plate 32 and is then threaded into bushing 35. As seen in FIG. 1, the head of bolt 35A is disposed in recess 28 as a leg 12 is set in predetermined selected position on carrell unit 10 when bolts 33 are fastened to bushings 34 in cleats 21 and 23.

As mentioned, it is a feature of the present invention to provide means whereby an individual carrell unit such as unit 10 is readily adaptable for interconnection with other carrell units in accordance with the needs of a user to serve as a part of a range of interconnected units. In accordance with these objectives, carrell unit 10 is shown as connected with two other carrell units 20 and 30 in FIGS. 3 to 5 to provide the intermediate unit in a range of three interconnected units. Units 20 and 30 are identical to unit and corresponding reference numerals have been applied in FIGS. 3 to 5 to identify like elements in units 20 and 30 as previously described with respect to unit 10.

In order to effect the interconnection of unit 10 with units 20 and 30 (FIG. 3), the units are arranged in side-by-side relationship. End panels and 16 of unit 10 are removed by releasing bolts 29 from bushings 31. End panel 16 of unit and end panel 1 5 of unit 30 (both of which panels are not shown) are also removed in a similar manner from units 20 and 30. Partition walls 36 (FIGS. 3 and 4) are substituted for end panels 15 and 16 on unit 10 and which partition panels 36 differ from end panels 15-16 in that they are provided with notches 37 in the bottom edge thereof (one shown in FIG. 4) and with vertical grooves 38 (FIG. 4) in both faces thereof and which grooves 38 receive therein tongues 39 of rear panel 14 of unit 10 and tongues 39 of the adjacent edges of rear panels 14 of units 20 and 30'.

After connection of rear panels 14 of units 20 and 30 with partition panels 36 both full cleats 21 are removed from underside 19 of unit 10. Top panels 13 of units 10, 20 and 30 are arranged in horizontal coplanar relationship (FIGS. 3 and 5) with partial cleats 23 on intermediate unit 10 (FIG. 5) each brought into coplanar alignment with an adjacent partial cleat 23 on units 20 and 30. The full cleat 21 (not shown) on each of units 20 and 30 adjacent a partial cleat 23 aligned with a partial cleat 23 of unit 10 are removed from units 20 and 30. Bolts 29 (FIGS. 4 and 5) are then inserted through each pair of adjacent cleats 23 and through depending marginal portion 40 of partition 36 which is disposed between cleats 23. Fastening nuts 41 are then applied to the ends of bolts 29 to interconnect units 10, 20 and 30.

In connected relationship of partial cleats 23 as described bushings 34 of each cleat provides a set of four bushings for mounting plate 32 of leg 12. In addition the semi-circular recesses 27 of cleats 23 of unit 10 are each registered with a recess 27 in a cleat 23 of unit 20 and 30 with each pair of registered recesses 27 providing a complete clearance recess to receive therein the head of a bolt 35A which connect plate 32 to bushing 35 disposed in leg member 12. In arranging marginal portion 40 of partition 36 between cleats 23, notches 37 in partition 36 are positioned over the clearance recess formed by a pair of registered recesses 27 to allow the head of bolt 35A to enter therein. Bolts 33 are then inserted in plate 32 and threaded into the set of bushings 34 of joined cleats 23 to secure plate 32 to unit 10 to complete assembly of the range of interconnected carrell units 10, 20 and 30.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that the novel carrell unit described has many advantages in use. One advantage among others is that the unit is provided with integral cleat means whereby the unit is readily adapted for interconnection with other carrell units without unnecessary duplication of parts and complex disassembly procedures. The carrell units are readily aligned one with the other and the bushing means 34 for the supporting plate 32 of the leg 12 arranged intermediate the ends of the interconnected units are located at a predetermined position upon connection of cleats 23 and does not require the provision of extraneous structure for connecting and locating the legs. Further, individual carrell units can be readily assembled from a range of interconnected units by the addition of a full cleat member 21 and substitution of end panels 15-16 for partition panels 36 where required following a reverse procedure to that described for assembling a range of carrell units.

Although one embodiment of the present invention is illustrated and described in detail, it is to be expressly understood that the invention is not limited thereto. Various changes can be made in the design and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as the same will now be understood by those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:

In equipment of the class described,

(a) a pair of carrell units,

(b) each of said units including a top panel with the top panels of both carrell units arranged in adjacent side-by-side coplanar relationship,

(c) pairs of cleat means on the underside of each of said top panels with first cleat means of both carrell units disposed in adjacent aligned coplanar relationship,

(d) means joining said adjacent first cleat means to interconnect said carrell units,

(e) a supporting leg for said interconnected carrell units and adapted for attachment to said joined first cleat means,

(f) said joined first cleat means including conjointly provided positioning means,

(g) said positioning means including bushing means provided in each of said first cleat members, said supporting leg including a plate member on one end thereof adapted to be secured to said bushing means in each of said first cleat members, and

(h) said first cleat members having registering recesses formed in the surfaces, said supporting leg including a portion projecting beyond said plate members and disposed within said registering recesses of the joined cleat members,

(i) and a second pair of cleat members comprising a pair of elongated rectangular-shaped members extending transversely of said underside from front to rear thereof and each in engagement with one of the cleat members of the said pair of cleat members, and means on each of said engaged cleat members mounting supporting legs.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS 4/1957 France. 12/1960 France.

FRANCIS K. ZUGEL, Primary Examiner, 

